Zenith Pilot Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 GMT 1903 Limited Edition

Last year, we saw the birth of the new Zenith Pilot’s GMT in stainless steel and it was a major success. You can read my ful review of it here. This year, Zenith have decided to make a stealthy and ultra rugged version of it in titanium with hard black DLC coating, limited to 1903 pieces for the world and pays tribute to the Wright Brothers’ first heavier-than-air flight on Kitty Hawk beach in 1903.

This watch is truly for that very casual everyday wearing man who wants something different, well made, sporty and ultra masculine, it’s a rock star watch! What makes this different from the stainless steel version is that it’s fitted on a vintage nubuck cuff strap, which totally gives this watch more of a utilitarian and vintage military feel.

Even though the complication is exactly the same as the steel version as a Pilot’s GMT, it’s execution looks and feels more simple because of the contrast between the black 48mm titanium case and the matte black dial with Super Luminova Old Radium finish. Yet the red tipped GMT hand is the perfect touch for that pop of color that breaks up the all black aesthetic.

Zenith is a company with heritage who was well versed in making gauges in airplanes and pilots watches back in the day, and by combining their history, technical innovation with their incredibly finished in-house movements and using titanium and black DLC to make this watch, it shows their evolution and proves their legitimacy as a real brand to make a true pilot’s watch. Let’s face it, what other legitimate watchmaker do you know that has pilot written on the dial? The stainless steel version is a bargain at $7,900, so I am excited to see what this stickers at.